A tap head of this type is known from DE-OS 23 45 435. Similar tap heads are described in GB 21 76 466, DE-GM 77 28 989 and FR 20 32 090.
An essential component of generic tap heads is the slide which is moved by the actuating lever and which has to be locked in place in two different end positions in view of the function of the tap head. Up to now, the slide has been locked in place with the aid of interlocking detent means, of which one, for example in the form of a detent bolt, is biased towards the locked position by a special spring. The construction of the locking means is, therefore, relatively complicated and, consequently, susceptible to breakdown.
The object of the invention is to improve a generic tap head such that it is easy and inexpensive to produce and operates free of trouble over a longer period of time.
Tap heads made of plastic are known in principle from DE-GM 79 33 172 and DE-OS 33 07 489. These are, however, tap heads of a different type which do not require any spring locking means and so the problem underlying the invention is not posed in these publications.
It is also known to use spring snap elements, some of which are made from plastic, in tap devices of a different generic type (DE-GM 75 22 568, DE-OS 34 29 559, DE-OS 20 34 311 and DE-OS 25 15 498). Insofar as the snap elements of these tap devices interact at all with additional parts of the device and not only with drink cans, these are permanent locking devices which, in contrast to the slide of the generic tap head, do not need to be continually released.